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Saturday, May 10, 2014

Cultural Deversity ＆ Intercultural Dialogism

Communication in a Pluralistic Society and Dialogism as a Way of Life in Shields’ book are pretty straightforward, which help me to understand the key terminologies in Bakhtinian conceptual scheme, like heteroglosia, pluralism, dialogue, and relationship.

Under the trend of globalization, cultural diversity has become a prevalent issue, whichexists in the world, a society, or an institution. The heteroglosia among cultures via intercultural dialogue, is essential to promote the coexistence and harmony among various cultural groups. It is of great importance to give voices to them, thus making it possible for other people to know, to respect, and to understand other cultures, which is a way to maintain the diversity among cultures. However, once coin has two sides. Intercultural dialogue may also lead to cultural assimilation. Through acculturation, people from various cultural groups are very likely to adapt to the mainstream culture and hence lose their unique cultural heritages and original cultural practices to certain extent.

The relationship and dialogues interrelate and interact each other. For example, good dialogues promote positive relationship and the relationship between the interlocutors influences their dialogues as well, vice versa. In addition, I like the concept of inner dialogue. For individuals, it is significant to open their ears and eyes to listen and see the world, enabling them to open their minds. The inner dialogue helps them to examine their positions through multiple perspectives and angles, which is like a reaction, generating new thoughts in a dynamic way.

About Me

Currently, I am a graduate student in Bilingual Education. I completed my master degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) in the USA,
which not only provides me with advanced teaching methodologies, but also
allows me to identify the difficulties that second language learners encounter,
depending on their native languages.

During my time here, I have been a teaching
assistant to help local students learn Chinese. I am familiar with the
challenges that English speakers face when they learn Chinese, such as
mastering tones and characters. I find enjoyment in helping my students build a
solid foundation and have close access to the beauty of Chinese language and
culture.